


Crystallized

by DJRezYourGays



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Best ghosts, Friendly Ghosts, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-15
Updated: 2017-11-15
Packaged: 2019-02-02 12:50:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12726939
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DJRezYourGays/pseuds/DJRezYourGays
Summary: Another long night in her workshop leaves Mei desperate for sleep, but her project could save lives and she refuses to quit until it's done.  An old friend visits to offer some much-needed reassurance.MicroWriMo 2017Prompt: Haunted





	Crystallized

It took three tries to return the soldering iron to its cradle before Mei finally found the mark, celebrating by stretching her back in hopes of alleviating the soreness that had plagued her all evening.  It wasn't very successful, which largely summed up the last few days and certainly the last few hours spent in her workshop where she was developing a new monitoring device that could help address street-level air quality issues in places their current sensors couldn't accurately reach.

At least, that was the idea, anyway.  So far, she had only managed to develop two things: a very expensive paperweight and a twitch in her left eye.  She let out a heavy sigh as she sank into her chair, which spun idly on the momentum and carried her a few feet away from the half-finished project.  A moment later, Mei noticed the chair was still moving ever so slowly in the direction of the door and her bedroom beyond.  "Snowball," Mei groaned, reaching down and coaxing the drone out from where it had been sneakily pushing her along.  "I told you, I have to get this finished!"

The drone beeped a few short phrases as it floated up and nudged her shoulder insistently.  Mei gave it a light shove and dragged herself back to the workbench, looking over the design one more time in hopes of finally finding the spark of inspiration she'd been missing.  A yawn overtook her, and she mumbled to herself as she set her head down next to the unfinished prototype.  "We have to get this done," she said, feeling twice as heavy as she had a moment ago.  "People are...counting on us..."

Just as she was drifting off to sleep, she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder.  "Having trouble?"

The kind voice was very familiar.  "Captain Opara?"

Mei looked up, adjusting her glasses and watching as the kind face of the captain came into focus standing over her, still wearing the clothes he'd been wearing the day they all went into cryo.  

"...I must be dreaming," Mei said, rubbing her eyes.  Everything else in the room was the same.  Even Snowball settling into its charging station, paying no mind to the ghost in the room.

"Could be," Opara chuckled, setting a steaming cup of tea down in front of her, "but at least this is a nice dream.  What is that you're working on?"

"A new kind of sensor," Mei explained, finding no fault in the apparition's logic as she took the tea in both hands.  "It's not very glamorous, but, I think it will help."

"Pah, 'glamorous,'" Opara scoffed, leaning down to get a closer look at the prototype.  "'Glamorous' is for those clowns at CERN.  You are doing real science.  Never apologize for this."

Mei laughed, remembering Opara's arguments with MacReady about the disciplines.  She was still convinced the captain said such things just to wind the others up.  "I just wish I knew how to get it working," she said, poking at one of the integrated solar panels.  "The power should be more than sufficient, but I'm not getting the voltage I need."

"Ah," Opara said, standing upright, "I believe I see the problem."  Mei sat up attentively.  She was willing to take a suggestion from anywhere at this point, even a dream of her own making.  Opara instead poked the tip of her nose.  "You need to sleep," he said.

Mei's face scrunched up around the poke.  "No, I need to--"

"You need rest," Opara repeated, speaking each word quietly but firmly.  "You are the climatologist, doctor," he added, prodding her temple lightly, "tell me: how can you see the problem with a clouded mind?"

Mei started to object, but only sighed.  He was right, of course, and anyway she was too tired to argue, which went a long way toward proving his point.  She rubbed her eyes again.  "Thank you, captain," she said.  "It makes me wish you were really h--" 

She stopped short, staring at the empty workshop.  Against the far wall, Snowball's display pulsed quietly on its charging station.  She was all alone again.  Mei sighed, realizing that, dream or no, Opara was right - she needed to rest.  She could always try again in the morning. 

She got to her feet and stretched again, getting ready to head down the hall to her warm and comfy bed when a sight made her stop short.  Sitting next to the prototype on the workbench was a cup of tea, still steaming.  Mei stared at it for a long moment, trying to recall if she'd gotten up to fetch one before she sat down.  She adjusted her glasses, reassuring herself that there was a perfectly logical explanation for this, one that didn't include a ghost of her former captain visiting her in the middle of the night.  She just couldn't think of it right now - one more reason to hit the hay.

She gave Snowball a light pat on the head before shuffling her way down the hall to finally get some much needed rest.  Science would have to wait till the morning.


End file.
